Learn Our History Today: On January 2, 1863, during the Civil War, the Battle of Stone’s River came to an end near Nashville, Tennessee. The battle had commenced two days earlier on New Year’s Eve, when the Union Army of William Rosecrans collided with the Confederate Army of Braxton Bragg. The 35,000 rebels slammed through the morning fog into the right flank of the 42,000 yankees, straining the bluecoats severely but not breaking their lines. All throughout the day on the 31st, fighting raged in the fields and woods along Stone’s River, with the severe cold taking as much toll as bullets. Neither side could claim victory after the New Year’s Eve fighting, but each suffered greatly, with all of January 1st being taken by the Confederates and the Union to reorganize and treat the wounded. The next day, January 2nd, Braxton Bragg decided, against the advice of his subordinates, to launch an all-out attack in the hopes of sweeping the Union men from the field. The result was absolute slaughter, with waves of rebels being cut down trying to overtake the Union positions. In the end, the Confederate army would be forced to retreat, leaving the Union army in command of the field and in control of most of central Tennessee. Playing host to some of the largest casualty rates of the war, Stone’s River wound up costing each army more than 30% of their soldiers.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:38:07 +0000
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